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Minoan Bull Jumper
Brief Identification This bronze figurine is an acrobat jumping over a bull. This bull-leaping is a very common theme in Minoan art. It was made somewhere between 1700-1450 BCE. The sculpture is pretty small. It is about 4 inches tall, 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. It was found near Rethymnon in Crete. The Minoans lived in Crete, Greece during the Bronze Age (3000-1000 BCE).The Minoans got their name from the legendary ruler King Minos of Knossos. Technical Evaluation This figure was made of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. Since it is one solid piece, it is likely that the artist used the lost wax technique. The object is first made in a plastic material, like wax, and then a mold is made around the wax. Melted bronze is then poured into this mold and cooled. In order to make this figurine just one piece the acrobat was connected by his feet and hair to the bull. The hair is pulled together in what looks like pigtails to make the attachment to the bull on top of the bull's head Evans, 1921, 249. The feet are attached to the bull's lower back. The acrobat's arms are stumped off. It is unclear if this was intentional to make the piece simpler or if the bronze just did not flow completely throughout the mold. Minoan bronze was typically low on tin, which does make it harder for the bronze to flow well. This lack of fluidity of the bronze could explain why the acrobat's legs are also missing. The surface of the figurine is rough and some features are not very defined. When the figure was cast it was clear that the process of bronze casting was very advanced but the casting of acrobat and the bull as one piece could be considered a tour de force of the metal-worker Evans, 1921, 248-249. The figurine is currently at the British Muesem and part of the Spencer Churchill collection. Local Historical Context The Minoans were the people on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea during the Bronze Age. This was the first sophisticated society in the Aegean. It was known for its great cities and palaces and its use of writing. It had extended trade contacts throughout the Levant and beyond. The civilizaton reached its peak around 1600 BCE and Minoan influence started spreading to the Myceans on the surrounding islands and mainland Greece. The bull, bull-leaping and other activities with bulls are very common in Minoan art. They are seen on Minoan seals, pottery, frescoes, bronze and ivory sculptures. The "flying gallop" pose is very characteristic of bulls in art. There are frescoes depicting bull-leaping that were found at the the palace of Knossos and at Tiryns that have this characteristic position of the bulls Evans, 1921, 250. This bull-leaping is very different from bull-grappling, which is the capture of wild or half-wild bulls by trained "cowboys Evans, 1921, 255. In the Journal of Hellenistic Studies Arthur Evans said that the frescoes found in Knossos clearly showed bull-leaping being performed in sight of the great Minoan Goddess's pillar shrine Evans, 1921, 255 This would mean that the Minoans performed bull-leaping in religious rituals or possibly rites of passage. It is thought today that the seals, sculptures and frescoes depicting bull-leaping do not show exactly how it was done. Many show the acrobat grabbing the bull by the horns and then bull then flings its head back, flipping the person over its back. It seems nearly impossible for a person to grab a charging bull by the horns, flip over its back and land on his feet religion. The depictions are morely likely an artist take on what actually happened. They more show how humans could dominate over such a powerful animal and outwit it. World-Historical Significance Bibliography Evans, Arthur. "On a Minoan bronze group of a galloping bull and acrobatic figure from Crete." Journal of Hellenic studies 41, (1921): 247-259. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, EBSCO''host'' (accessed April 20, 2011). Category:Greece Category:Mediterranean Category:Bronze Category:Minoan Category:Sculpture